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Georgia has a long history of tension with its northern
neighbor, exacerbated by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in
February 2022 and a subsequent big influx of Russian emigrants
escaping their country.
The band, seven times nominated for the music industry's Grammy
Awards, performed on Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Batumi
during a European tour.
"Good people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend
anyone!" the band said in a statement on its Facebook page,
adding that it had a longstanding tradition of inviting people
to play the drums.
"We recognize that a comment, meant to suggest that all of the
Killers' audience and fans are 'brothers and sisters,' could be
misconstrued," it added.
The reference was to a remark band leader Brandon Flowers made
to the crowd, saying he did not want the situation to turn
"angry".
"I see you as my brothers and my sisters," Flowers added to the
sound of boos and whistles in a video published by the Russian
state RIA news agency.
Videos on social media showed people leaving the show, in
addition to the booing.
Georgian public opinion is overwhelmingly pro-Ukrainian.
The band has sold millions of albums, with many songs topping
the charts since it formed in the city of Las Vegas in the early
2000s.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Warsaw; Editing by Clarence
Fernandez)
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